1. Field of the Invention
The invention generally relates to a configurable earbud retention and stabilization system. More particularly, the invention relates to a configurable earbud retention and stabilization system that enables earbud headphones to be effectively retained on the ears of a user.
2. Background
Earbuds have become very common and popular over the past few years. Earbuds are speaker headsets where the speaker is small enough to fit inside the ear. Earbuds are supplied with many portable music players and with most cell phones. Earbuds are a good way to keep a cell phone and the potentially harmful electromagnetic radiation away from one's head. Unfortunately the one-size-fits-all approach to earbuds does not match the wide variety of ear shapes, sizes, and configurations.
Earbuds are especially troublesome if the user is active or moving. Jogging, biking, skiing, working out, or simply walking are all example activities that can cause earbuds to fall out. Sometimes just turning one's head can cause earbuds to come out. To prevent this, some users will push the earbuds further in their ear, leading to discomfort. Some folks will simply not use the free earbuds that come with their phone or music player if their earbuds fall out or are not comfortable.
Some earbuds do come with adapters, simply different sizes of rubber stoppers, meant to jam into different size ears. This works for some ears, but it is not the most comfortable solution. It is also not the best solution for all situations. For example, jogging along a road, you might want a looser fit to hear ambient noise, such as traffic noise.
Sport specific earbud headsets are available at a higher cost, especially considering the user probably already has a free set of earbuds with their device. Sport headsets do offer some better retention options, but still do not offer the full adjustability to set the earbud in a specific position that provides the desired comfort and sound quality.
New wireless earbuds are becoming available. These wireless earbuds have the same fit, comfort, and stability issues as the wired earbuds. Newer wireless earbuds also present the bigger issue of simple loss if an earbud falls out. With the high cost of these new wireless earbuds, loss is a significant issue.
Thus, there is a need for a fully configurable earbud stabilization system that is affordable, fits a user's current earbuds, and can be adjusted to and set-up for different ears and different situations.